, 1887-04-23
a TALE OF Il SALMON.

Bertram Anchor, the manager of the Pro
vldence Provincial Press Iimited)," having
quarrelled with the landlord of the LONG
tailed Tlger'-the tavern where he used to
dine and smoke his post-prandial pipe, called
his friends together, and formed a small club
consisting Of some fifty members, one half Of
whom were more or less immediately con.
nected with the press, and the other half not
at all. The originator of the club was, as q
matter of course, unanimously elected chair
man OF It's committee, and within a fortnight
he had the qualification Of seeing it duly
housed and inaugurated, and was chuckling
over the chagrin of the landlord of the
"IIger," who found himself suddenly deserted
by a full third of his most constant and thir-
test customers.
Unfortunately the two elements of which
the club was composed did not readily smalga-
mate. From the very first it showed a ten
dency to split up into two distinct sets-the
journalistic set and the commercial set-and
the latter were always suspecting that the
committee, which consisted exclusively of
journalists, were inclined to favour their COR
fr6reS.
Now, among the members of the CONNER
clal set was a burly young Staffordshire man,
a traveller for a large firm of china manufac-
turers IN the "Potteries."
One morning, about three months after the
formation ofthe club, this worthy but imperfect
Iy educated, young bagman approached Mr..
Anchor, with a grave and troubled aspect,
and thus addressed him: "You know Mr..
Anchor, | don't like to make myself unplea-
SAINT, or to poke my nose into other peoples
business-that amt my natur; but I must say
as 1T don't seem to me, nor to my mates, quite
fair as the members of the committee should
be treated different from the rank and file of
the club"
"Quite So" replied the chairman. "But
pray how are they treated differently 2"
"Well, you see, Mr.. Anchor, several times
when I've been sitting with you in this here
smoking room the waiter has come in and
said to you, please, sir, salmon is waiting
when there wasn't no salmon mentioned in
the bill of fare, nor not a slice to be had by
US ordinary members, though we asked for
it till we were black in the chops"
Here Mr.. Anchor burst into @ roar of
laughter, which by no means soothed the
rutfied feelings Of the spokesman of the com
mercial set.
"What the deuce is there to laugh at o. be
angrlly inquired. eff you and your pals
have salmon, why shouldn't | and my pals
have salmon? That's what | want to know.
and what I mean to find out for myself, see
ing as how you can Go nought but make
game of a chap just fer asking a simple ques-
ton" With that the Initiated bagman turn
ed to leave the room with more speed than
dignity. He was half way through the door
when Mr.. Anchor, making a desperate effort
to master his untimely merriment, called out,
"Stop one moment, Mr.. S.; | fancy I
can explain this little matter to your entire
satisfaction. You know-you can see for
yourself-how fat and unwieldly I am. No.
doubt it's in a measure my own fault that my
waist is so out of all reasonable measure.
Indeed, my doctor is always entreating me
to take more exercise but for all that, I
cannot screw my courage to the stamping
point. So I hire q cab by the week to take
me to and from my Office. The cabman has
orders to call there at six, and if I am not
there, he sends word here to say that he is.
waiting"-
"Well?" CALCULATED the bsgman, looking
more mystifed than ever.
eWell,' continued Mr.. Anchor, II have
only to add that the name of my eabman is